The present invention relates to devices for securing and supporting bicycles and other types of loads for transport by an automotive or other vehicle, and more particularly, to the combination of a primary load supporting structure for securing and supporting loads such as luggage and the like, and a bicycle carrier for use in combination with the primary load supporting structure for securing and supporting one or more bicycles in an upright position for transport by a vehicle.
A wide variety of vehicle luggage or other type load carrying devices are generally well known. However, such devices are not well-suited for utilization as a bicycle carrier. On the other hand, there exist many prior devices which can be assembled upon a generally horizontal surface of a vehicle, such as a roof or hood, for securing one or more bicycles for transport by the vehicle. However, such prior known devices are not well-suited for carrying other loads, and their utility is generally limited to bicycle transport.
Moreover, prior known vehicle bicycle carriers for transporting bicycles in an upright position possess certain deficiencies and disadvantages which further limit their utility. More specifically, such devices have required the mounting of several longitudinally spaced laterally extending cross-members above such a vehicle surface, as well as the assembly of a separate multi-piece bicycle supporting structure for support by and between the cross-members in order to yield an effective bicycle carrying device. Such devices therefore require complicated, tedious and time consuming assembly procedures. In addition, the bicycle supporting structures of these devices have been of generally complicated configurations which require multiple step forming processes, and take up unnecessary space during shipment and use. While some of these bicycle supporting structures have been designed for disassembly for shipment, such designs contribute to the previously mentioned assembly problems. These structures also occupy a substantial amount of vertical space above a vehicle when they are not being utilized to carry a bicycle. They can therefore present an undesired hazard in low vertical clearance areas, such as garage entries or around low hanging tree branches or limbs, and create additional wind resistance which reduces vehicle efficiency. Avoidance of these problems can be achieved only by tedious and time consuming disassembly and removal of these prior devices from the vehicle.
The complicated configurations of these prior bicycle supporting structures have resulted because they have been designed to effect a rigid self-supporting structure to which a bicycle frame may be secured to prevent longitudinal and lateral movement of the bicycle. While some of these prior devices have included longitudinally extending channels for receiving the front and rear wheels of a bicycle, these channels, at most, serve only to prevent turning of such wheels, and the bicycle is secured against longitudinal and lateral movement solely by the supporting structure of such devices. In order to function in this manner, such prior devices have required fixed, rigid supporting structures having limited or no positioning capability, either longitudinally or laterally along the vehicle surface. They therefore possess limited adaptability and are not well-suited to accommodate a variety of space needs.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a load carrying device which can be assembled upon a vehicle in a simple, quick and efficient manner for securing and supporting bicycles in an upright position for transport by the vehicle. It is also desirable to provide such a device which has general load carrying capabilities, so that it can be utilized to carry bicycles or other loads, or both, as desired. It is moreover desirable to provide such a device that includes a simplified bicycle supporting structure which can be manufactured more efficiently than prior known devices, and which takes up less space during shipment and use. It is further desirable to provide such a structure which can be easily collapsed and retained on the vehicle to avoid vertical clearance problems and to reduce wind resistance when the structure is not being utilized to transport bicycles. It is additionally desirable to provide such a device which possesses longitudinal and lateral positioning capabilities to allow bicycles and other loads to be positioned above a vehicle surface as desired for transport by the vehicle.
The device according to the present invention includes a primary load carrying structure which includes a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending rails which are attachable to a horizontal vehicle surface, such as a hood or roof. The primary load carrying structure also includes several laterally extending cross-members or utility bars which are removably securable to and movable along a pair of the longitudinally extending rails. These utility bars are operative to support a variety of loads, such as luggage or the like.
The device also includes a bicycle carrier which can be removably assembled with the primary load carrying structure to facilitate the transport of bicycles in an upright position by the vehicle. The bicycle carrier includes a one-piece bicycle supporting or brace member which can be removably assembled between a single cross-member or utility bar and a frame member of a bicycle to laterally support and secure the bicycle. The bicycle carrier also includes a wheel fixing structure which is operative to engage and fix the front and rear wheels of the bicycle against movement. In one version, the wheel fixing structure includes a pair of shoes which are removably assembled upon one of the longitudinal rails at longitudinally spaced locations for receiving and locating the bicycle wheels, and clamping assemblies for retaining the wheels within the shoes. In a second version, the wheel fixing structure includes a longitudinally extending channel which is removably assembled upon two cross-members or utility bars for receiving and locating both bicycle wheels, and clamping assemblies for retaining the wheels within the channel. In another version, the wheel fixing structure includes both a longitudinally extending channel for receiving and locating both bicycle wheels which is removably assembled upon two cross members or utility bars and a pair of shoes which may or may not be removeably assembled at opposite ends of the longitudinally extending channel to aid in receiving and locating the bicycle wheels, along with assemblies for retaining the wheels within the channel. In all cases, the brace member supports and secures the bicycle against lateral movement, while the wheel fixing structure secures and supports the bicycle against longitudinal movement. The brace member can be provided in a form which can be quickly and efficiently collapsed and retained on the vehicle in a low profile configuration when the bicycle carrier is not being utilized to transport bicycles.
With this design, the present invention eliminates the necessity of providing a complicated, rigid and self-supporting bicycle supporting structure extending between a pair of cross-members, such as taught by prior known devices. Instead, the bicycle carrier provides a structure which secures and supports a bicycle at three distinct points, and cooperates with the bicycle itself to create a stable and rigid structure. These features also provide a bicycle carrier which is more adaptable, easier to manufacture and assemble, and which requires less space for shipment and use than prior known devices. It should be noted that the design of each utility bar allows the brace member and the channel to be laterally positioned as desired. Similarly, the design of the longitudinal rails enables longitudinal positioning of the shoes according to user needs. These additional features, along with the positioning capability of the utility bars, present the user with a device that can be positioned upon a vehicle surface as desired for supporting and securing bicycles for transport by the vehicle. Moreover, these positioning capabilities provide the user with a device that can be utilized for locating and transporting bicycles, other types of loads, or both, as desired. In addition, the device provides the user with a bicycle carrier which can be simply and efficiently placed in a low profile storage configuration on the vehicle, so that wind resistance and vertical clearance problems can be avoided without completely removing the carrier from the vehicle.
The above and other features of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which make reference to the following set of drawings, in which: